Fitting Dansko Clogs and the Way to Care

The U.S. shoe brand Dansko is founded in consideration of foot health. The most remarkable feature of the brand is the constant pursuit of the comfortable fitting. Although the leather shoes seem heavy and solid, you would experience exceptional sufficiency when you insert your foot into Dansko shoes.

Dansko has a lot of fans all over the world because of convenience and comfort. Let's look at its characteristics more and learn how to find the best size through the interview with a staff member of Dansko shop.

Knowing Dansko's comfortable shoes

Dansko is founded in 1990 in Pennsylvania, the U.S. The founders, who were formally horse trainers, found comfortable clogs in Denmark and brought them back to the U.S. Soon after they started selling the clogs, the shoes gained a great response, and the founders began the brand Dansko, which means "Danish shoes" that handles healthy clogs and other various shoes.

Professional Black Oiled

Some of the staff members of ZUTTO are also the ones who adore Dansko shoes. They said that the relaxing, comfortable shoes always make them think, "Why didn't I start using such comfortable shoes earlier?"

Professional Antique Brown Oiled

How to choose the best size of Professional clogs

Professional is the iconic clogs of Dansko. The clogs are made of oiled leather with great stability.

Is there a way to select the best size for Professional clogs? To find the answer, we asked the question to a staff member of Dansko shop.

Dansko shop "dansko en..." in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan

◆Interviewer: ZUTTO's staff member who wears shoes with the size of 23-23.5cm / 5.5-6 US / 35.5-36 EU size

◆Interviewee: Mr. Mochizuki, who works at Dansko's shop, owns five different Professional clogs

― In terms of fitting, is there a difference between Dansko's shoes and other shoes?

For Dansko shoes, it is important to see not only the length of your foot but also the height of your instep. The instep must fit the top of the shoe upper well.

But first, let's see the length of your foot. Please stand on a paper and place checkmarks on where your tiptoe and heel are. The length in between the checkmarks would be your foot size.

Size charts of Dansko's shoes:

22.5-23cm / 4.5-5 US size / 35 EU size

23-23.5cm / 5.5-6 US size / 36 EU size

23.5-24cm / 6.5-7 US size / 37 EU size

24-24.5cm / 7.5-8 US size / 38 EU size

― Looks like my foot length is 22.5cm. It means my size would be 35 EU size. (As fitting the shoes) Wow, the shoes fit so well! The insteps fit the top of the shoe upper, and there is almost no space for heels. But it seems like I can move my toes inside the shoes.

Your toes must have some spaces to move and should not touch the front. Most of all kinds of shoes have some spaces on the front to free your toes.

― When I try to walk, my heels somehow move up and down. Is it because of the structure of Dansko shoes?

Generally said, heels of shoes are shaped toward the inside. However, Dansko makes the heels vertical against the shoe soles. Because of this design, your heels moves up and down but you still find the shoes suit you well. As long as the top of the shoe upper part fits your instep, we can say it is the right size for you.

Do you want to try it in one size bigger, that is, 36 EU size?

― The bigger size, 36 EU size, makes a much bigger space in between my instep and the shoe upper. Although I can wear 36 EU size as well, the shoes are heavy, and I'm sure they will come off eventually. I now understand the importance of the height of my instep.

I know some people have higher in the instep than me or wear thick socks. How do you fit Dansko shoes for them?

I recommend bigger sizes for them. It is also crucial to see the instep suits just right when they wear their daily socks.

― It looks like we should try shoes with the socks that we always wear.

Right.

Do you want to try a different type of our shoes? Here is the series of Ingrid, the classic open-back clogs with a convertible strap. Let's try 35 EU size.

dansko Ingrid

— Feels like 35 EU size is the right size... but my heels stick out a bit.

Regarding the height of your instep, it looks good. How about wearing the strap across your heel?

— Now my heels fit the shoes so well. I can walk comfortably too. It seems like 35 EU size is just the right size for me.

The strap has a rubber inside and stretches well, and it helps adjust your foot size. The size of 35 EU size is the best one for you.

Ingrid Black Oiled

Caring Dansko shoes for long usage

Left: Used about 2 years

Center: Used about a half a year

Right: Brandnew

As we interview Mr. Mochizuki, we found out his Professional clogs look so shiny and clean. He said he started using the clogs about two years ago, but it seems like he regularly cares the shoes and the clogs never get old or stained.

Dansko's shoes are made of oiled leather, which has excellent durability. In addition to the feature of the leather, daily cleaning maintains the shoes more beautiful and long-lasting. Mr. Mochizuki told us the daily care of Dansko shoes.

Professional clogs before caring

The clogs have been worn for about a half a year. They look whitish and have some wrinkles on the surface. Because the leather contains full of oil, it gets dust easily. The wrinkles might be caused by drying. Adding oil may be helpful for the leather to keep its beauty.

We tried caring for the shoes with the following items.

- A shoe brush with pig bristles

- Leather oil for cleaning, water-repellent and moisturizing

- A soft clean cloth

①Brushing

Start brushing with the pig bristle brush from the surface to seams between the shoe parts. Also, brush the outsole as well. If you do not a shoe brush, use a soft cloth.

②Leather oil for cleaning, water-repellent and moisturizing

Put a little bit of oil on a cloth and polish the leather. After polishing, place the shoes at an airy space where does not get direct sunlight.

③Finish with the second brushing

After drying for a half a day, brush the whole shoes. By doing so, the oil soaks in the shoes well.

Left: After cleaning

Right: Before cleaning

After the basic caring, we found out the apparent differences between the shoes before and after the cleaning.

There is no more stains or dust, which makes the shoes look whitish nor wrinkles. Mr. Mochizuki advised us to brush the shoes after use and cleaning with the oil once a month.